The Oldest of the Four Leggers and the New Addition

When Dorkfish and I started our little furry family, or actually, when I started dragging pets home, he was very agreeable. He didn't complain about anything other than the amount of hair that can amass in an 800 square-foot house. (House cleaning wasn't my forte then either...)

Our first pet, Molly, came to me as a malnourished porch hound in the backwoods of Tennessee. As soon as I came across Molly, I knew I had to have her. She sauntered up the driveway in that traditional 'hound swagger' and captivated me with her big, brown eyes. I was in love immediately. I called Dorkfish and told him that we absolutely had to have this dog. The previous owner insisted that "Blackie" was a "gen-u-wine black-n-tan coon hound" and as such was "very, very, very valuable". That was the best $40 we ever spent. She has been with us through three moves, two kids and is on her seventh round of new four-legged additions. She hasn't bitten anyone, except the German Shepherd who bit Dorkfish first and a rat who unexpectedly was hiding in a vacant house.

Over the years, Molly has become more than a pet. She loves the boys like a mother. Some days, she has more patience for them than I do. Not to mention, when she tires of them a simple lick on the face will send them scurrying. I've tried that...it doesn't work for me.

As the family has gone from one dog, to two dogs and three cats, back to one dog and now to three dogs...she has weathered the storm.

However, this new addition, may prove to be the end of her....

Meet TomCat:

And yes, Bonus learned that look from me...